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Another Incomplete SIDS Warning

News10 in Albany, NY ran a story titled 8 ways to protect your baby from SIDS. It listed risk factors and ways to “prevent” it. However, it negligently failed to inform its audience that 5 – 10% of all SIDS deaths can be attributed to Long QT Syndrome, an arrhythmia of the heart.

When an infant dies from this condition, it is known as sudden cardiac arrest and therefore doesn’t have to remain in the catch-all diagnosis of SIDS. This condition can be detected using a simple and non-invasive test called an ECG or EKG.

Furthermore, a primary warning sign of sudden cardiac arrest in children is (1) fainting and (2) the unexplained death of a family member before the age of 50. This means that if the parent has fainted or a relative has died suddenly before the age of 50, the baby could be at risk of this congenital heart defect.